Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes - The Novel
by Crash5020
Summary: A novelization of the the game. Taking place soon after the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Snake and MSF continue their mercenary work until they discover a conspiracy taking place at a Naval Prison Facility in Cuba. As they work to uncover what's happening, certain phantoms from the past return to threaten everything that Snake holds dear.
1. Eliminate the Renegade Threat

December 3rd, 1974 13:28

Snake slid down a dry rocky cliff and landed in front of a small cave overlooking the surrounding waters. It took some work, but he was finally in position to start his latest mission; eliminating the sniper-spotter team known as Glaz and Palitz – the eye and the finger. These two veterans were currently stationed in a United States Naval Prison Facility in Cuba. During the United States' involvement in the Laotian Civil War, these two conducted a number of horrific acts against NVA officials and their families until they retired shortly after the United States withdrew from the conflict.

The client of this mission was none other than the KGB who were able to contact MSF through Snake' second in command, Kazuhira Miller, who he was acquainted with when he was a trainer for a Colombian guerilla group. Naturally, the legendary mercenary was apprehensive at first, but his partner assured him that his contacts weren't connected to Vladimr Aleksandrovich Zadornov, the KGB agent that coaxed them into Costa Rica in the first place. Against his better instincts, he agreed to the mission and allowed Miller to send spies from the Intel Team to study the targets and the base they were stationed in. Once they reported their findings of the target's most common travel patterns, Snake geared up and made his way to the prison facility.

Snake was no stranger to sneaking into secured facilities, but this facility seemed to have fewer places to hide than most of the others he had ever had missions in. The main facility itself was split into several smaller areas: a heliport, two refugee camps, an old prison and the Administration Building. Splintered throughout these areas were guard towers with search lights, armories where they stored their weapons and equipment and several anti-air emplacements. As standard with these kinds of operations, Snake had to use everything in his environment to make sure he wasn't seen. If anyone caught wind of his presence, then the targets would flee and escape his reach.

"Kaz, I'm in position," he reported to his Second-in-Command.

"Good, how do things look there?" Miller asked.

"I don't know why I let you convince me not to bring the Cardboard Box."

"Boss… I still don't understand how you consider that an indispensable tool for sneaking."

"The cardboard box has saved me from certain life-or-death situations for as long as I can remember. Plus, we have R&D working on so many variations now."

"I still can't believe you have our men working on that."

"Compared to MSF-Branded rations?"

"We could actually make money off of those, Boss. Know what, we can discuss this later. Get back to the mission."

Using the tents of the East Refugee Camp as cover, Snake reached for his binoculars and used them to survey the immediate area. It didn't take long for him to spot one of his targets next to one of the many armories in the base accompanied by two other soldiers. It was the sniper of the duo, Palitz, also known as The Finger. He stealthily made his way closer to his target and crouched behind a nearby crate. It was there where he noticed a drop of sweat roll down Palitz's shaved head and watched his hands violently twitch. He didn't know why, but the legend knew that it presented the opportunity he needed..

Snake dashed from his hiding spot and, with lightning speed, grabbed the nearest guard and threw him down to the ground, knocking him out in the process. He then kicked the other guard into the armory wall, knocking him unconscious too. By the time Palitz finally noticed his presence; Snake disarmed him of his shotgun and punched him unconscious.

"Kaz, I ran into Palitz," reported Snake.

"Did you send him to Hell?" asked Miller.

"No, I'm bringing him back to base."

"What?!"

"I have a feeling something's not right here. We're going to have to change the mission objectives."

"I… I guess you could stick them into the chopper and we can tell the client that we killed them. Just don't take any more unnecessary risks."

"Right."

Snake hid the unconscious guards into the armory and lifted Palitz over his shoulder. He carried him back to the designated extraction point and started to make his way to the Administration Building, the location of his next target: Glaz.

His trip was quickly cut short as he heard the roar of a car engine. The famed mercenary immediately dived into a nearby bush and watched a jeep driven by Glaz pass by. Without a second thought, Snake grabbed his tranquilizer pistol, aimed at Glaz's head and fired. The shot instantly knocked Glaz unconscious, causing the jeep he was driving to spiral out of control and crash into a nearby fence.

"Nice shot, Boss," Miller complimented. "Very subtle."

Snake quickly approached Glaz and was surprised to find him covered in sweat. His curiosity peaked, but there was no time to indulge in it. He retrieved Glaz and took off for the extraction point before the nearby soldiers arrived to inspect the crash site. The moment he arrived, the extraction chopper flew by and landed as close as it could to his position. Snake wasted no time in loading the two targets into the vehicle and jumping in himself, allowing the chopper to finally fly off and away from the facility.

"Mission complete, Boss," Miller congratulated. "Come on back to base."

But despite the mission's completion, Snake couldn't get his mind off the state of his targets. What were Glaz and Palitz so afraid of and why?


	2. Lost Peace

December 4th, 1974

Snake lit up his cigar as he was approached by Kazuhira Miller.

"Boss, we interrogated the targets from your last mission," Miller reported. "We couldn't get much out of them. All we really know was that something at that base scared them more than death itself."

Snake exhaled a small puff of smoke.

"So there is something going on at that base," Snake concluded.

He had already guessed that something more was happening at the U.S. Naval Base during his last mission there and Miller's report had just confirmed his suspicions.

"It's not really an area of interest for us, but I sent an Intel Agent to scope it out," Miller continued. "I'll let you know if we find anything."

"Right," Snake nodded.

"While I got you here… There's something important I have to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Seriously, what is your obsession with cardboard boxes?"

"It's not an obsession. The box is an important piece of tactical equipment to have in the field."

"What kind of missions have you been on where using a cardboard box works? In fact, weren't you in a forest for at least half of your mission in Russia? You can't tell me it worked there."

Snake blew another puff of smoke and smirked.

"It worked in a forest?" Miller asked in disbelief.

"You sound like someone else I used to know who doubted the box," Snake replied.

Stunned by what he just learned, Miller silently left Snake to continue smoking his cigar. As he breathed out another puff of smoke, the legendary mercenary couldn't help but wonder what was really going on at that Naval Base and what effect it could have on the world. These thoughts continued to circulate through his head until, from the corner of his eye, noticed Chico slouching over the edge of the platform.

Ever since the battle with Metal Gear ZEKE ended with Paz being thrown into the sea, the young child soldier would always use his free time to watch the surrounding body of water, as if he was waiting for her to return. Despite accepting the fact that she was a spy for Cipher and threatened to frame MSF by launching their nuke at east coast of the United States, the young revolutionary still harbored feelings for her, a sentiment Snake could relate to.

Snake himself still held a small soft spot for Paz. He was unsure where her true allegiance lied, but the diary she left behind showed a young girl who acted out of fear instead following her heart's desires. Through her diary, it was abundantly clear that she would have preferred death to the punishment of defying Cipher, a fact that made Snake wonder how far his old friend Zero has fallen. Those thoughts continued to fill his head as he watched Chico stand on his feet and turned around, his face expressing the surprise of finding out that he wasn't alone.

"Snake…" Chico solemnly muttered. He looked at the sea and then turned his attention back to his boss. "Do you think that she would ever come back here if she survived?"

"Who knows?" Snake answered. He truly did not know what Paz would do if she had survive, but he still did not want to give the child any false hope.

"Right…" Chico mumbled as he pushed past him.

Snake knew it was going to take time for Chico to move on and would be best if he was given his own space to do so. He sighed as he was then approached by Huey Emmerich, one of the head A.I. scientists for Metal Gear ZEKE.

"Boss, we finally finished repairing ZEKE after your fight with Paz," Huey reported. "You sure did a number on it."

"I had to," Snake casually replied. "She was going to fire a nuke and have the entire world out to shut us down."

"Ironically, that's the reason we have the nuke in the first place," Huey chuckled. "But… can I ask you something, Boss?"

"What is it?"

"Wouldn't it have been better if you have accepted Paz's offer have us join Cipher?"

Snake shot a surprised look Huey's way. He didn't expect Huey to ask such a question.

"Why would you ask that?" Snake asked Huey.

"It's just that… If they're offering us a pretty good place in this new order of theirs, wouldn't have been good for to accept, no matter the conditions?" Huey continued.

"Huey… we don't fight for any nation or government," Snake answered. "We fight for ourselves and that's not going to change and if Cipher wants to get in the way of that then that makes them our enemy. That's all there is to it."

"Right, Boss."


	3. Intel Operative Rescue

December 7th, 1974 05:31

A lone helicopter flew across the ocean as the yellow sun rose up from the blue horizon. Inside was Snake, holding up a pair of glasses. They belonged to a vital member of MSF's Intel Unit who was sent to check out the Naval Facility Snake had infiltrated a few days prior. But after a few days there, he requested an emergency extraction from the base, sending his signature J.F. Rey Eyewear JF1142 col 2924 (Ocean/Turquoise) eyeglasses as proof of his identity. Because this specific agent was so important, Miller concluded that no one but Snake could handle this mission. The mission: Assault the military base and rescue the Intel agent.

"We're coming up on the base!" Morpho, the helicopter pilot announced.

Snake grabbed the gun he chose specifically for this endeavor and headed for the left helicopter door. With a push of a button, the door opened and Snake strapped its harness tightly across his waist.

"Got a visual?" Miller asked over the radio.

"Negative," Morpho responded. "No sign of him."

"Are we too late…?" Miller worried. "If he's caught, he could drag us all down with him."

Morpho piloted the helicopter over one of the armories and Snake noticed the soldiers on base scrambling around. Snake quickly deduced that they were trying to keep the Intel Agent from escaping, so he fired at them as the helicopter flew towards the west refugee camp. As Snake fired at more soldiers, someone accessed Morpho's radio frequency and asked if they could hear him.

"Incoming comms from the target," Morpho informed his superiors.

"Patch him through," Miller ordered.

"This is Morpho," Morpho answered the agent. "Go ahead."

"I am bein… pur… along the east coast," the agent said. "Nee… immediate evac!"

The agent tried to explain his situation, but the words Morpho could hear was a garbled mess.

"I can't hear him!" Morpho reported.

"Dammit!" Miller exclaimed." Where is he…?"

As the helicopter circled around the west refugee camp, Snake and Morpho noticed a flare go off along the east coast

"Flare at 11'o clock!" Morpho reported.

"That's his signal?" Miller wondered.

"En Route," Morpho reported, turning the helicopter around.

Morpho headed for the east coast of the base, but now every soldier on the base was aware of their presence and opened fire on them. If the helicopter went down, then there would be no way for the mission to be completed, so protecting it was priority #1. Snake fired at his attackers as the helicopter flew towards the east coast and eventually spotted his target firing at his attackers from behind a jeep. Despite being one of MSF's best when it comes to Intel gathering, this agent wasn't so good when it came to combat. His aim was off and it seemed as if he couldn't hit any of the soldiers if his life depended on it.

From the helicopter, Snake provided cover fire and took down the hostiles before they could hurt the Intel agent. As Snake reloaded, Morpho confirmed that the hostiles were down to Miller. Miller realized that touching down to get the agent right then and there wasn't a choice and advised that they try at the helipad. Morpho asked the agent if he could make it there, but the agent calmly assured him that he could and requested an escort.

The Intel agent gracefully jumped into the driver's seat of the jeep he creatively stole and drove throughout the base, protected by his legendary mercenary of a boss. He drove up to the helipad, but just when it seemed like he was in the clear; the jeep was hit by a missile and crashed into a nearby building.

"Target vehicle is out of commission!" Morpho exclaimed.

"Is he okay?" Miller asked.

Morpho tried to radio the agent, but couldn't get an answer.

"Get him out of there!" Miller ordered.

After clearing the helipad of enemy combatants, Morpho lowered the helicopter at the helipad and Snake rushed towards the crash site. He found the agent next to the damaged jeep and breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered the agent was merely unconscious. He knew that if something happened to this agent, there would be no way to replace him. Snake carried the unconscious agent to the helicopter and it took off.

Morpho piloted the helicopter over the admin building and saw something that could complicate their escape.

"Contact. 10 o'clock!" Morpho yelled.

Snake turned towards that direction and noticed an enemy helicopter headed their way. The helicopter's side doors were then opened and a lone soldier aimed a missile launcher at Snake.

"They're still coming?" Miller wondered. "Make 'em regret it, Boss!"

The enemy helicopter flew up next to them as Snake grabbed his gun and aimed it at the soldier with the missile launcher. It was a tense moment. The outcome of this mission all dwindled down to a single movement. Whoever pulled their trigger first would be the victor. With lightning fast speed and incredible accuracy, Snake fired at the enemy's head, knocking him out of his helicopter. The enemy helicopter flew back towards the base and Morpho piloted the victorious helicopter towards the sea. With a job well done, Snake closed the helicopter doors and went over to check his now conscious comrade.

"S-Snake…" the agent weakly mumbled.

The agent dropped his sunglasses and accepted his own glasses back from Snake. He put them on and looked back at Snake.

"What took you so long?" the agent asked.

"Kept you waiting, huh…?" Snake replied. "I'm glad you're okay, Mr. Kojima."


	4. Black Site

"Boss, the Intel agent you extracted brought back two cassette tapes with him," Miller reported. "One of them was a recording of an interrogation and the other contained secret data on the base."

"So what do we know?" asked Snake.

"I think you should listen to the interrogation tape yourself first," said Miller, handing him the aforementioned tape.

Snake placed the tape firmly in his walkman and pressed the play button, starting the recording. It started with nothing but the heavy breathing of a male, desperately gasping for air. Snake didn't notice anything odd about the tap until he started to hear footsteps from the tape.

"I needed this place, to listen to the words people had to say. That's something that they could never understand."

The gasping continued as the footsteps grew louder, before coming to a sudden stop.

"You've done your part. You told us plenty. You've known the pain of ages. And even now you think, as any person would, that this can't be happening. Is it education? Morals, faith? Just the imprint of a lifetime of stories? Face to face with oblivion, which is where you are and you still think that help is coming. The world you were born into is made to save you. Isn't that right?"

No answers were given; all that was heard was the heavy breathing of the listener.

"Of course it is. Everyone knows that. Until your last breath, you know it. Without the slightest chance or reason left to them, humans are capable of hope. I'm no different. But for one thing… When my time came calling, I didn't die. My family died, my country died, but they didn't take them with me. All Hell took from me was this skin, this outer peel that marked me 'human.'

My village had an oilseed field and a fine factory. Every day my friends and I would see our parents at work in that factory. That's all I had. All the world I knew. Then one day, aircraft came droning in from some far-off sky. The factory was bombed. Some… 'spies' had told them we were making weapons. The building burned. We tried to flee outside. The crowd of people. Hot. So hot. I tried to push through their legs and get ahead, but a boot in my stomach put me on the ground. The smoke of them burning filled me up. I heard my name called… but not for long.

At the infirmary they carried me to, a nurse in the corridor saw me and remarked, as if it happened everyday: 'hey should let the poor thing die.' Those are the only words of my mother tongue I remember. It was the language of my village. Until foreign troops invaded. Then the last identity I had left – the words I spoke – were pulled from me.

My skin would never feel anything again. This face would be burned again, in torture, at foreign hands, but I, I still writhe in that burning factory. Doused in scalding rapeseed oil. That's all I have to feel, that pain – all I have to remind me that I exist here.

Those 'spies' reported well. We made weapons all right. As cartloads of rifles came in from the battlefields, we fixed them up and sent them back out. So our country could win. Or rather, so that little world we knew could continue. I came to realize I mustn't die. I'm their last hope, all those who perished and left me here. I have to accomplish something. If I don't, their will will be swept out of this world.

So? Do you see me now? Tell me. What do you see? Hmm? You have eyes. What do your eyes see?

Yes, that's right. You see a skull face. You see me. This skull is who I am. My mark, my proof of humanity. I have no country, no language, I have no face, but I haven't lost my skull.

So I told myself… The pain and effort that keep me alive will never know relief, never bear fruit, never be repaid. I know that, but I told myself to focus on some hope, a nonexistent hope to guide me through this burning world. A hope – call it a dream. A melancholic delusion. As the pressures within me stretch me to bursting, and I force myself not to cry out, though the words I thought were carved into me are gone, and all I knew is dead.

I know how you feel. I've felt that. So show me. That I'm not the only one. That you too can return to this world, for revenge. Do you see me? Don't die. Don't die!"

The heavy breathing stopped and a disappointed sigh was the last thing heard before the tape finished.

"That tape wasn't just a recording of an interrogation. Sounded like it was torture," said Snake.

"Yeah," Miller said, nodding his head in agreement. "I was suspicious about this whole thing for a while but this tape confirmed it for me. That base has been converted into a black site."

"A black site?" Snake repeated.

"The other tape reveals more," Miller continued. "It contains every last detail of the black site development plan. The refugee camps there would have been converted into interrogation facilities, ran by a small army of pros in every form of torture there is. They've even purchased a fleet of transports.

The facilities' inmates wouldn't be limited to just prisoners, but anyone they considered a threat, renditioned from around the world under the designation of 'enemy combatants'. I think you know who's behind this."

"Cipher," Snake solemnly answered.

"That's right. This plan goes beyond the current paradigm of nation states. But is something like this really the 'World Without Borders' that Cipher wants?" Miller wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Snake sighed. "Ever since his plan with ZEKE, I don't think I can tell what Zero's thinking anymore."

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Miller shrugged. "I say we keep some Intel Agents there to keep tabs on Cipher while we go back to business."

"Fine…" Snake accepted.


	5. Nuclear Inspection Demand by the IAEA

2 months later, the moment Snake returned to Mother Base, Miller approached him, sporting an annoyed expression on his face.

"Snake, yesterday, we received official communication from the IAEA," he said. "It says, 'It has come to our attention that your organization recently purchased nuclear fuel from Uzbekistan authorities. We request permission to inspect your facilities.'"

"What a load of bullshit," Snake replied, sharing his partner's annoyance.

Snake knew that the request wasn't as 'innocent' as it seemed, a sentiment Miller wholeheartedly agreed with.

"Yeah," Miller nodded his head. "They're after Metal Gear ZEKE's nuclear warhead. I'm betting this is payback from Cipher after Paz's leak."

"Using the UN?" Snake questioned.

"There's no telling how much influence they have. But the IAEA can only do inspections in countries that are party to the NPT."

"And we're not a country."

"Exactly. We haven't signed a safeguards agreement with the IAEA over peaceful nuclear use, and we're not obligated to report any nuclear material we have, nor information about any nuclear facilities.

The IAEA has no authority to inspect us."

"But despite all that..."

"That nuke's our last line of defense. We don't want to announce we have it until the world is preparing to wipe us off the map. Until then, we let everyone think we're just a private army with conventional firepower."

Snake silently nodded his head in agreement before asking, "What's Huey's take?"

"That the problem's how to hide the nuke and Metal Gear," Miller answered. "But I gotta tell you, he was all for it."

"I see..." Snake pulled a cigar out of his bag and lit it. "But there's no way we can have the IAEA poking around here."

"So what do we do?" asked Miller. "Ignore 'em?"

"Send them an official letter of refusal," Snake ordered. "Say that we're a private organization, and we've done nothing to attract this suspicion."

"You got it," Miller grinned.

Meanwhile, in the hanger that housed Metal Gear ZEKE's, Huey combed through the tank's specifications to make sure it's still battle ready.

"I wonder if I could add Peace Walker's drill missiles to ZEKE," Huey mumbled to himself.

Huey looked up at his creation and thought about all the armaments currently attached to it.

"Nah," Huey concluded.

Huey continued to work on his new specs for ZEKE on his computer until Cecile walked in with an envelope.

"Huey, how is your bipedal machine coming along?" asked Cecile.

"Well, I got it in working condition, but I was wondering how I could make it even better," Huey replied. "By the way, what brings you here? It's not often you come around ZEKE's hangar."

"Well, the constant noise does scares the birds away. Anyway, Miller asked me to give you this letter. It appears it's from your father."

"My father?!" the baffled scientist exclaimed. "How'd he find me here?!"

"Snake and Miller think he used government connections to send it here," Cecile replied, handing him the envelope. "Anyway, I have to meet up with Amanda in the mess hall. Au revoir."

Cecile took her leave and Huey opened up the letter. He wondered what his father could have wrote him, but what he found written on the letter was the last thing he expected to read. The surprised scientist looked around the hangar to make sure he was alone.

"Is this for real?" Huey grinned.


	6. Allowing the Nuclear Inspection

February 27th, 1975.

"Boss, we have a problem!" Miller reported.

The last time Snake had seen such a frantic look on Miller's face was during the Peace Walker Incident.

"What is it?" asked Snake.

"The IAEA is coming here for the nuclear inspection," Miller answered.

"What?! I thought we sent a letter of refusal."

"Well someone sent told them that we had a 'change of heart'."

"Who did that?"

"I'll give you 3 guesses."

Meanwhile, in ZEKE's hangar, Huey looked over his blueprints to ZEKE until Snake and Miller walked in.

"Hey guys," Huey waved. "I'm glad you're here. I have some news to share about ZEKE."

"Huey…" Snake started.

"We finished ZEKE's waterproofing reinforcement yesterday," Huey interjected. "The day after tomorrow we'll be done installing the main depth control tank, the compressed air tank, and the attitude control propeller pod."

"Huey…" Miller started.

"If the underwater test goes well, next week we'll try the 300-foot seabed depth," Huey continued.

"Drop the act, Huey," Miller snapped. "How did we end up agreeing to the nuclear inspection?"

"...Because after you sent that letter I told them, 'After careful reconsideration we agree to your request.'" Huey nervously replied. "And frankly, we should be inspected. This is our chance. If they come and go without discovering the nuke, we can tell the world we're clean. Of course it's risky, and we'll have to make sure everything's perfect. But it'll be worth it."

"Huey, can they do an inspection without going through the Board of Governors?" asked Snake.

"We contacted the IAEA's admin branch, and they said there's no record of us being brought up at any of the Board's meetings," said Miller.

"I'd say... probably a preliminary inspection to determine whether we should be referred to the Board," Huey explained. "So it's bound to be a small inspection team, and they won't be here that long. Don't worry, leave everything to me."

"Has the media gotten wind of this?" asked Snake.

"Yeah," Huey grinned. "Two major Western networks want to do stories on us. I'd planned on saying yes."

"What?!" Miller exclaimed. "You want to broadcast this place to the world?"

"That's why I agreed to the inspection," Huey replied. "This is a golden opportunity. We can use the media to prove to the world we don't have a nuke. Besides, even if we said no, it would just be delaying the inevitable."

"Kaz, our hands are tied now," Snake angrily relented. "Start getting the place ready."

"Thanks, Boss," said Huey.

"Don't get the wrong idea," rebuffed Snake. "You've set it up so that any more 'changes of heart' will arouse suspicion, that's all."

"ZEKE stays, but we'll have to move all other AFVs to shore," said Miller. "Any potential troublemakers can go with them for some mandatory R&R. Sound good, Boss?"

"Just do it," said Snake.

February 28th, 1975.

"About the inspection… what do we tell the men?" asked Snake.

"The truth – what else?" Miller casually replied. "The one thing we don't need to worry about is anyone here spilling the beans about ZEKE."

"Good point. What about the Sandinistas? There's still quite a few of them left on the base."

"I hate to say it, but it won't look good having Soviet Bloc personnel here... The problem is, moving a group that size in a hurry would look even worse."

"At least Amanda's on assignment in Cuba. They'd recognize her. She should stay put for now."

"All civilians, save Huey, will have to return to their countries."

"Even your Parisienne?"

"Of course. We'll get her whatever papers she needs. In fact, Dr. Strangelove's departure came at a perfect time. The less ZEKE-related staff here the better."

"Wait, she left?"

"That's right, you were away on a mission. She left last week. There's nothing cooking in AI weapons research, and ZEKE is complete. There was really no reason for her to hang around."

"I'm surprised Huey let her go that easy."

"Yeah, his crush on Strangelove was never much of a secret, huh," Miller chuckled. "He followed her everywhere while ZEKE was in development. Boy, would she get pissed. But he does have a lot on his mind right now. 'I've got bigger issues to deal with'... That's what he said."

"That's the spirit, Huey," Snake grinned.


	7. Word on Paz's Survival

March 4th, 1975

Snake met up with Miller on the main command strut of their base and was surprised by the serious expression on his face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Ten days ago, we got reports that Paz was still alive," Miller answered.

"She survived?"

"She was rescued by a Belizean fisherman who found her drifting in the Caribbean."

Despite there always being a possibility of Paz surviving their battle, Snake still couldn't believe what he just heard. He felt slight relief over the news, but that feeling soon vanished the moment he realized what the news truly meant.

"So what's the plan?" asked Snake. "Silence her before we're compromised?"

"No, I've got something else in mind," Miller replied. "Our 'friends' at Cipher suspect Paz could be a double agent. She's being held for interrogation at a camp on the southern tip of Cuba."

"Black site – nice. A slice of American pie on communist soil, and out of U.S. legal jurisdiction."

"The upcoming inspection of Mother Base has to be connected somehow. The timing's too perfect."

"The UN's nuclear inspection..."

"My guess is they're trying to corroborate Paz's leak."

"We're an army without a nation."

"Word of our capabilities gets out, and we'll have the whole world out to shut us down. Having an American private intelligence agency involved's bad news. Cipher's the ones who sent Paz to us in the first place."

"She knows their true nature."

"Right," Miller nodded his head. "Paz is our only link to Cipher. If she's still alive... ...We need her on our side. If not us, who else is gonna rescue that bitch?"

"When do we do it?" asked Snake.

"The inspection comes first. We'll deal with this afterwards."

"Do the men know?"

"Word has started to spread. The information came from Cuba through Amanda. One of the base personnel used to belong to El Frente. I'll tell everyone, 'We don't concert ourselves with the survival of enemy spies.' We need them focused on the inspection. And if we get her back here and she isn't... cooperative, there's still plenty of room for her in the ocean."

"Works for me. What about Chico? He had a chance to stop Paz from hijacking ZEKE, and he blew it. He's carried that guilt ever since. Kid really did care about her."

"Chico... It's hard to say how he'll react."

"Have Amanda call him out to Cuba. He shouldn't be here right now."

"Good idea. They haven't seen each other in a while. Little time with big sis and he'll forget all about you-know-who."

March 6th, 1975

"What?" Miller exclaimed. "Still no sign of Chico?"

"What's going on?" asked Snake.

"It's Amanda in Cuba." Miller whispered, lowering his radio. "Our resupply package arrived, but Chico wasn't with it."

Miller raised the radio back up and spoke into it, "Relax, Amanda, I'm sure he's just... exploring Havana or something. First time in the big city, he could've gotten carried away..."

"Kaz, wait. The boat Chico was on – did it stop anywhere before it got to Havana?" asked Snake.

"Yeah, it had to refuel at Santiago de Cuba..." Miller was rendered silent as he finally realized what happened. "You don't think... Aw shit, you gotta be kidding me! He does this NOW?!"

"It's 60 miles from Santiago to the prison camp. Chico used to cross the mountains with the older Sandinistas like it was nothing. He'll make that in three days." Snake pointed out.

"Still, even if he does find his way there..."

"You know how reckless he can be. Chico thinks we've abandoned Paz. That's why he's doing this."

"...We'll start by having the Intel detachment in Cuba look for him. We can't let him be captured."


	8. Arrival in Cuba

March 7th, 1975

Chico climbed out of the starlit sea and immediately ducked behind a nearby bush. It took some doing, but the young revolutionary finally arrived at the U.S. Naval Facility in Cuba where Paz was supposedly being held.

The young soldier checked his surroundings as he pulled out his recorder. He figured that recording his mission could be a good insurance and help convince the others he could be taken more seriously.

"I made it ashore," Chico spoke into the recorder. "I'm in Cuba. Security looks lighter than I thought. I wonder where Paz is. It's dark, but there are soldiers everywhere. Lots of choppers coming and going. Those lights are so bright."

He always knew the base would be a secured area, but what he had encountered so far was more than he expected.

"…Time to get moving," the revolutionary declared.

Chico checked around his immediate surroundings, hoping he could find a trace of Paz.

"I got close to the fence to see if I could spot her. They had a guard posted so I got outta there. Guess security is not so light after all," said Chico. "I'm coming, Paz..."

The 12-year old continued his search. It wasn't the first time he's been in a secured base, but he still couldn't shake the fear of being caught and tortured again.

"I'm OK... I'm... I'm OK..." Chico said to himself, trying to stay calm.

Chico continued on and eventually saw something that caught his interest.

"I think I found her!" said Chico. "It's gotta be Paz!"

Chico tried to get closer to confirm his sighting, but the light from a soldier's gun stopped him in his tracks. He immediately bolted and hid in a nearby tent, but there was no way of taking back his mistake. The alarms of the base went off, which meant only thing…

"No no no..." Chico muttered. "They're looking for me."

Chico stuck his head out of the tent and was immediately pulled out by one of the marines, causing him drop his recorder.

"Enough. Quit that struggling." the soldier barked.

Chico tried to escape, but was unable to overpower his captor. He was soon restrained as other soldiers moved in towards him and pointed their rifles at him.

"Got him secured," the soldier reported. "It's a kid."

March 8th, 1975

Chico pressed the record button as he wiped the tears out of his eyes.

"I'm... I got caught," Chico sniffled. "I'm in a cage. They gave me back my recorder... At least whoever finds this will know what happened."

He looked around the prison area and took note of the other prisoners there.

"They're holding others here, too. But still no sign of Paz," Chico lamented.

A depressed sigh escaped his lips until he noticed another prisoner being dragged into the prison area. It was a girl with short blonde hair and more than a few bruises. The soldiers tossed the girl into the cell behind Chico's and left her in her pained state. The moment they were gone, the girl looked up and was surprised by who her fellow cellmate was.

"Chico?" the girl weakly spoke.

"Paz?" Chico replied with surprise.

"Chico..." Paz weakly smiled.


	9. Routine

**March 9** **th** **, 1975**

Chico watched as few of the soldiers stationed around the prison approached Paz's cell and unlocked the door. One of them reached for their prisoner, but the rebellious girl quickly smacked their hands away.

"Don't touch me, you son of a bitch!" she snapped.

Responding to her slight assault, the guard rammed his rifle into Paz's face before grabbing her by the head and slamming it on the ground. Chico could only watch in horror as they dragged her out of her cell and started to beat her more.

"Paz...!" he whimpered.

It was too much for the young boy to see. He has never seen such savagery to prisoners before. Heard, but never seen. The strangest thing to Chico was that they weren't even asking her for any information. They were just assaulting someone who couldn't fight back.

 **March 10** **th** **, 1975**

It was the same routine as yesterday. Paz was taken out of her cage and beaten within an inch of her life with no one questioning her for any information. The only things that they were getting out of her were her blood and tears.

 **March 11** **th** **, 1975**

Paz's torture continued. After hours of nonstop beatings, the proud girl couldn't even wince in pain anymore. One of the soldiers raised his fist, but was immediately stopped by a man who wore a trench coat and a ten-gallon hat.

"She looks weak," he said. "We need her alive."

"Yes, sir," the soldier saluted.

As the soldiers dragged Paz back to her cell, the man approached Chico. The child felt a sharp chill crawl down his spine as he laid eyes on the man's face.

"What's wrong, kid?" the man smirked, caressing his blue scarred face. "You look like you've seen a phantom or maybe… a Skull Face."

"Skull Face…" Chico repeated.

"Don't forget it," Skull Face chuckled.

Paz was thrown into her cage and Skull Face took his leave with the other marines. As soon as the coast was clear, Chico slowly slid towards the adjourning cell and called out to the barely conscious girl.

"Hm?" Paz voice cracked as she slowly opened her eyes.

Each muscle was strained and tortured further as she weakly raised her head.

"You're back early today," said Chico.

"Early..." Paz slowly repeated.

"The sun is still up," Chico pointed out.

Paz just as slowly turned her head to her right and looked towards the ocean. The reddish orange sun was inching closer and closer to the horizon.

"Si," Paz replied.

"Y-yeah," Chico nodded his head.

"Chico."

"Yes?"

"Let us not do this, okay?"

"Huh?"

"I do not think I want to talk to you."

Chico couldn't understand the reasoning behind Paz's request. Why would she not want to talk to him after all the pain and struggle he went through to get to her?

"B-But..." Chico stumbled over his words as he tried to explain his situation. "I came here to..."

"Just be quiet," Paz solemnly interrupted. "Or I'll scream."

"What the..." Chico turned away from the girl he chased after and stared at the sea. "I don't get it."


	10. Interrogation

**March 12** **th** **, 1975**

"Paz!" Chico cried as she was dragged out of her cage again.

Even if she didn't appreciate his rescue attempt, Chico still couldn't bear the thought of Paz going through another day of torture. That uncomfortable truth haunted him for an hour until another soldier approached his cell. He wasted no time in opening the door to his cage and aimed his rifle at the young boy.

"On your feet!" the soldier ordered.

"Okay..." Chico fearfully replied.

The soldier escorted the captured revolutionary to his jeep and drove him to the Administration Building of the naval base. The jeep soon stopped in front of a large gate, providing Chico with a view of how secure the base was. The surplus of guards, armories, watchtowers and anti-air guns… This realization was what finally hammered it into the child how foolish it was to try and rescue Paz on his own. But he couldn't lose hope, because if he did… then any chance of rescuing Paz would truly be lost. Suddenly, the gate slowly opened revealing a section of the base that was even more secured than what he has seen so far. There were cameras around every corners and guards covering the blind spot of each one.

"How does Snake deal with this every day?" Chico mumbled as the soldier parked his jeep in front of a nearby armory.

The moment the engine stopped the guard dragged Chico to the boiler room where he found Paz indeed suffering another day of torture.

"Paz..." the child muttered.

"You've got company..." Skull Face informed Paz.

Skull Face approached the frightened boy and slapped him across his face.

"Does it hurt?" asked Skull Face.

Chico didn't respond. He couldn't respond. He wasn't sure what the right answer would be or whether there was a right one at all. Unfortunately, that indecisiveness resulted in him being mercilessly slapped again.

"Talk," Skull Face demanded.

Skull Face struck the young boy once more.

"Talk!" Skull Face demanded once more before striking Chico again. "You can speak, can't you?

Skull Face then jerked Chico towards him, intimidating the boy even more than he had yesterday.

"Then talk," Skull Face ordered before shoving him back to the concrete floor.

"Okay!" Chico relented. "Okay..."

"Good boy," Skull Face smirked. "Your boss and I go way back. Don't count on him coming to rescue you. If you're a real soldier, you'll find your own way out. But don't bother trying to escape. Let's say you get lucky – and you don't look very lucky – and by some miracle you get out of your cage. Let's even say you're able to elude the guards. Then what?

The nearest Cuban border is four miles to the east. Four miles of barren, America-controlled soil. Think you'd make it? You wouldn't get any help from the Cubans. And the border's a mess of live minefields. Think you'd make it through that? With your girlfriend in tow? If you were that lucky, you wouldn't even be here right now."

Skull Face's words drilled into Chico the reality of his situation. The only reason he was able to get to the base was because MSF unknowingly gave him a good head start. There was no way he could get himself and Paz out of their predicament by himself and no one knew where he was. There was truly nothing he could do.

"Don't lose hope," said Skull Face. "There's another way out. For both you and the girl. This way is... much simpler. I ask, you answer. Easy, right? Just tell me what you know."

"You're dumber than you look," Paz defiantly chimed in." Wasting your time torturing kids."

Skull Face struck Paz while keeping his eyes trained on Chico.

"Tell me about your base," said Skull Face.

"Chico," Paz gave him a stern look.

Their torturer roughly grabbed Paz by her cheeks and shot Chico a threatening look.

"Well?" asked Skull Face.

"Chico!" Paz shook her head.

Chico didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he couldn't bear seeing Paz tortured again.

"Hit me!" Chico demanded.

Without saying a word, Skull Face accepted his response and swung a leather belt at Chico's face.

"Again!" the child barked.

"Hmpf. Trying to impress the girl, little man?" Skull Face replied. "How cute."

Skull Face then turned his attention back to Paz and said, "All right. Let's try something else."

The torturer approached the battered and bloodied girl and started swinging his belt at her.

"Stop it!" Chico yelled.

"She'll get what she deserves," said Skull Face. "We were comrades, once. But she betrayed us. Deception and deceit. What better proof she's a... real woman."

Skull Face dropped his belt and lifted Paz up by her neck.

"Show him," Skull Face smirked.

"Do you realize what you're doing?!" Paz exclaimed. "Cipher is watching."

Without a word, Skull Face quickly released his grip on Paz's neck, jerked her by her uniform and slammed her against the wall.

"Let go of me!" Paz demanded. "You'll be next! Your hideous face wi..."

To Chico's horror, the inhuman torturer tore off Paz's uniform and tossed her in front of him.

"Repulsive, isn't it?" asked Skull Face. "Look. Look carefully."

Chico couldn't help but look over Paz. He was shocked by how many bruises and scars she had. It was at that point when Chico realized that she had a darker history then he had realized.

"Watch out when you grow up, boy. This is the kind of woman you'll want to avoid," said Skull Face. "Of course, scars like those make it rather difficult to lead a normal life. I should know."

Skull Face turned to a nearby marine and handed him a chain to string Paz up by her arms. He then turned his attention back to Chico and laid out the how the situation would proceed.

"Talk, and you both go free," Skull Face explained.

"Chico, no!" Paz begged as she was tortured. "Don't..."

"Only you can stop this," Skull Face calmly pointed out.

"Don't talk!" Paz begged him. "Chico, please! No!"

Suffering torture far worse than the days before, Paz could no longer scream. All she could do was hum the song she was meant to perform on MSF's Peace Day. Hearing those subtle hums caused Chico to once again question every action Paz has made. Why did she hijack Metal Gear ZEKE? Why did she threaten Snake and MSF? Why was she here? And most importantly, why did she bother to protect them now?

"Paz…" Chico mumbled, trying his best to hold back the tears. "Why?"

Hours of nonstop torture passed by until Skull Face finally ordered the marine to stop. His unmerciful gaze was then directed to Chico.

"Move," Skull Face ordered. "Get up."

"Huh?" Chico replied.

"You heard me," Skull Face jerked him up to his knees and forced him to keep his eyes on Paz. "Do you like what you see?"

"...Huh?" the confused boy forced himself to keep his eyes trained on Paz's face.

"I said... Do you like what you see?" Skull Face repeated in a more threatening tone, tightening his grip on his prisoner. "It's like... fruit. Does she look sweet or sour? A man has to know these things. Time for a taste test."

Skull Face released Paz from her bonds and threw her in front of Chico.

"Either you take her – now – or you're strung up next," Skull Face instructed.

Chico's eyes widened with horror as he processed what he was told. He shook his head and was thrown to the ground. He didn't want to do it. He couldn't. Not like this. He fearfully glanced down at the weak and fragile prisoner behind him.

"Don't worry, Chico," Paz weakly smiled.

"No..." he replied under his breath. "No..."

"It's okay, Chico..." Paz assured him. "You won't hurt me."

"I don't..." Chico refused.

"Get on with it," Skull Face ordered.

"I can't..." said Chico.

"Chico!" Paz pleaded.

"No..." Chico continued to refuse.

"Come on," Paz pleaded once more.

Sometime later, Skull Face escorted Chico to the jeep that brought him there, where an unconscious Paz awaited him.

"...Out at sea... Staff of 300... but usually there's less than that... the base is protected by a bipedal weapon armed with a nuke acquired from Peace Walker… ZEKE... Metal Gear..." Chico repeated like a broken record.

"See? That wasn't so hard," Skull Face congratulated the boy.

"You got what you wanted," angry child snapped. "Aren't you satisfied?!"

"We're halfway there," said Skull Face.

Chico was forced into the jeep and was taken back to the prison camp along with Paz. As soon as the guards left, the frustrated child turned his attention towards the horizon and finally realized that it was night time. Was this going to be his life now? Being tortured into selling out his comrades again and again?

"Chico. Chico?" he heard Paz call him.

He turned around and watched Paz stagger onto her knees.

"...Thought you didn't want to talk to me," Chico muttered.

"There's... one thing I want to say," said Paz.

"What...?"

Paz forced closer to the bars that separated them and spoke the one thing that he didn't expect to hear.

"I missed you, Chico," Paz said with a small smile.

Chico face grew red. It was the same reaction he had when Paz first smiled at him when they first met. Except that was a charade back then; nothing more than a ruse. This time it was for real.

"...Yeah," Chico nervously nodded.

"Come here," said Paz.

"Huh?"

Chico inched his way towards Paz, wondering what she could possibly want. He reached the bars between them and was immediately embraced by her. Before he could process what was happening, he felt Paz's bruised and bloodied lips press themselves against his. Paz or Pacifica, this warmth and affection was something he wanted for a long time. It was a moment that should be enjoyed.

"...No," Chico said, backing out of the kiss.

But it couldn't.

"...Sorry." Paz apologized.

"Enough already," Chico pushed her arms away.

He immediately turned away from Paz and banged his head against another set cell bars. It couldn't be enjoyed. He didn't want to enjoy it. He didn't deserve it. He wanted to kill himself and begun to wish that Snake didn't give him a new life and put him down like the traitor he was. Those feelings would haunt his thoughts until he heard something else that he never expected to hear.

"You want to do it here?" Paz proposed.


	11. Negotiation

**March 13** **th** **, 1975**

"Come on, Paz. Talk!" Chico pleaded as he whipped Paz with his belt.

She refused to speak, causing the young boy to become even more desperate.

"Please, Paz. I'm doing this for you," Chico begged.

"Coward!" Paz snapped at him.

"How can you say that?!" Chico exclaimed, fighting back the tears.

"Traitor!"

"Don't make me mad! You're only making things worse!"

Skull Face gripped Chico's right hand and took the belt away, giving it to a marine to pick up where Chico left off.

"Take him back to his cage," Skull Face ordered another marine.

"What did I do?" asked Chico.

Skull Face slapped Chico cross the face and took his walkman.

"Vigyétek a ketrecébe!" Skull Face ordered again in a tongue the young boy couldn't understand.

But there was no time to think about that as the marine began to "escort" him away.

"Give it back! Give it back!" Chico demanded as he was dragged away.

As soon as he was gone, Skull Face stopped the marine whipping Paz and took the belt back.

"Enough," he said. "She's no good to us dead."

 **March 14** **th** **, 1975**

Chico sat in his cage, wondering what happened to Paz. An entire day has passed by since he last saw her and couldn't help but fear that she may have finally been killed. Those fears intensified as he was soon greeted by a devious smirk that lay upon Skull Face's face.

"Can I have it back?" asked Chico.

"We've decided to let her go," said Skull Face.

Chico's eyes widened with surprise. He felt both happiness and regret; happy that they could finally go home and regret over what it cost.

"So... she talked," said Chico, his voice layered with a mix of anger and grief. "Told her she should've just gotten it over with."

"She's going back to your boss," Skull Face continued. "But only her."

"...Huh?"

"Those were the terms. She said to leave you here. I suppose she doesn't much care for you, anymore."

Chico couldn't believe what he was hearing. After everything he went through…

"That... bitch!" Chico angrily slammed his fist against the bars

"Now, you've got quite a problem on your hands," said Skull Face. "When she gets back, what will she say? That you talked? Sold out your comrades? Your... family? You're finished."

"You mean I... I can't go home?" Tears flowed out of Chico's eyes as his last hope was taken away from him.

"There's very little I can do for you. And I still have need of your... services."

"Huh?"

"You're going to call your boss – for help. We'll make a recording, play it across public frequency bands."

"To bring him here...?" Chico wiped the tears from his eyes glared at his captor. "Yeah, right. You expect me to trust you? I'll never help you."

"Perhaps," Skull Face shrugged. "But if you did... I wouldn't mind looking the other way if he did come for you. Take some guards off duty, let you quietly slip away. But... You wouldn't want the girl leaving here alive. She'd have to be eliminated before he came. There's no other way."

Chico didn't know what to say. He had a chance to go home, but that would mean he would have to sacrifice the life of another. The life of someone he loved.

"I'll leave you to think it over," said Skull Face.

Skull Face turned to leave, but not before giving him one final piece of advice.

"Chico. Growing up means choosing how you're going to live your life," Skull Face reminded him.

"Wha-?!" Chico exclaimed. "That's what Snake… who is this guy!?"


	12. Chico's Distress Call

"Now!" Snake ordered.

The MSF soldier in front of him pulled out his knife and charged at Snake. He thrust the knife forward, but, with lightning fast reflexes, Snake intercepted his attacker's hand with and knocked the knife out of his hand. Snake then chopped his comrade's face before throwing him to the ground.

"Your CQC needs more work," Snake assessed.

The legendary mercenary helped his comrade onto his feet as another one of his men approached him.

"Boss!" the man saluted before continuing, "Commander Miller is looking for you. He's at the Command Center."

Without saying a word, Snake made his way to the Command Center and found Miller with a concerned look on his face.

"What's the problem, Kaz?" asked Snake.

"We found Chico," Miller informed.

"The Intel team found him?"

"No and that's what worries me."

"How did we find him?"

"Chico told us."

"What?"

Snake shot his partner a surprised look, prompting Miller to grab a cassette tape.

"We were listening to radio transmissions and we eventually found Chico revealing his location on the more pubic frequencies," Miller explained. "Here, I recorded it for you."

Miller pulled a Walkman out of his pocket, inserted the tape into the device and hit play.

"Snake, it's Chico. I need your help. Cipher's holding me on a U.S. military base in Cuba. Paz is here too. We're at the prison area at the coast. There are some cages to the east of a big building. It's an old, grassy facility. That's where we are. Help me, Snake..."

The recording ended, leaving Snake to wonder what Cipher was planning.

"It's a setup," said Miller.

"We have no choice," Snake pointed out.

"Yeah," Miller agreed, unable to hide his frustration. "If Chico talks, he could blow the nuke cover-up. We can't hold off until the inspection's over."

"When can we be ready?"

"It'll take at least 16 hours to confirm the flight path and prep a bird. The Intel Unit has started reconning the area."

"Sounds like I'll have to miss the inspection."

"Boss, we'll just have to send someone else to get them out."

"No," Snake replied in a stern tone. "I'll go."

"Yeah," Miller relented. "Chico and Paz would only take orders from you anyway. And we can't go taking on those Marines at the base head-on. It's gotta be off-the-rader... And it's gotta be you."

"Hold down the fort, Kaz."


	13. Paz's Decision

"Snake, it's Chico. I need your help. Cipher's holding me on a U.S. military base in Cuba. Paz is here too. We're at the prison area at the coast. There are some cages to the east of a big building. It's an old, grassy facility. That's where we are. Help me, Snake..."

"Don't... Don't do it..." Paz weakly begged.

"Kid's a natural, don't you think?" Skull Face taunted. "What do you think Big Boss will do? He'll know it's a trap, but he'll come anyway. That's the kind of man he is."

"Don't."

"Thanks to your report a nuclear inspection team's being sent to their base. The scientist was our way in. It all ends soon, exactly as I've planned. All thanks to you."

"Cipher... would never..."

"Yes, Cipher will surely mourn his death. I'll have no choice but to distance myself from the group. And then they'll eliminate you. No one will be left. Think about that. Big Boss or Cipher – you can only save one."

"I will never talk."

"I don't expect you to believe me. The question is, which of the two would you like to give a shot at survival?"

Paz looked up at Skull Face with a face full of murderous intent.

"What I would like... is to kill you," Paz fumed at her torturer.

"The feeling is mutual," Skull Face replied. "But... We're secret agents. Restraint is a virtue."

Skull Face sped through the tape until it reached a song the both of them knew well.

"Your favorite song," he noted. "Nicola. Bart. Immigrants, wrongly executed. But their deaths served as a message to others. That ours is a society that murders the innocent. Do you, too, believe your sacrifice will change the world? If so, the time is now.

Cipher's been in hiding ever since his grand experiment. No one's seen him in years. All we hear are orders delivered by proxy. Except you. You met with him – face to face – in order to contact Big Boss. Tell me where he is. Where is Cipher... Where is Zero?"

Skull Face walked to the conflicted girl and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"I've never known choice," he reminisced. "Where I was born, the language I speak... I've never had the freedom to choose for myself. But you, right now, are free. Do as you will."

"This will save Big Boss?" Paz weakly asked.

"It may."

"Will you really kill Zero for me?"

"Not for you."

Paz weighed her choices in her head. Either save the man who gave her purpose in life or save the man she connected with in such a short amount of time. It was a tough decision, but deep down, she knew what her answer was.

"Alright..." Paz relented. "Zero is..."


	14. Withered Peace

**March 15** **th** **1975**

Skull Face and a group of soldiers watched a medic work on Paz. These soldiers weren't the same as the marines stationed at that base. They were part of Cipher's Strike Force, XOF; a unit under Skull Face's command.

"She's all closed up," the medic announced.

"Timer's set per your instructions," one of the soldiers added.

"We can't have her waking up – or dying – on us..." Skull Face reminded them.

"I gave her a transfusion, a nutrient cocktail, and an anesthetic," the medic assured him.

"How long does she have?" asked Skull Face.

"24 hours – same as her cargo," the medic answered. "She won't last much longer than that."

"Almost there," Skull Face grinned. "Now for the second one. In a place they'd never look."

After they finished preparing Paz for her eventual rescue, they strung the barely conscious girl up and expressed nothing but disgust for her.

"You shall not see triumph," said Skull Face. "You've been most helpful. And I have one last use for you. To you I give a magnificent end... But an end nonetheless. The final moment is yours."

"We heard from the advance team – everything's right on schedule," one of his men informed him. "The C4 has been planted on the legs. Strike team and decoy team are in position. And, we have confirmation that Big Boss' chopper has lifted off."

"A shame I won't see him," Skull Face lamented. "But at least I'll get a look at his body. Time for us to move out, too... But first, let's stop by and see the boy. I want Big Boss to hear his little diary. Hopefully he's still a good listener. First Big Boss, then Zero. Liberation is at hand."

Skull Face and his men took their leave, leaving Paz to her fate. Once out of the boiler room, Skull Face look up at the dark night sky, feeling each drop of rain hit his face like knives and smiled. The beginning of the end was nigh.

Meanwhile, on a chopper not too far from the base, Snake and a single MSF medic prepared themselves for the task ahead of them.

"Snake," Miller radioed him. "You can forget about civil liberties where you're headed. God only knows what they'd do to you if you got caught. Do not let that happen. The Cubans leased the land to the U.S. as a gesture for helping them gain independence from Spain. The deal remains in effect until both countries agree to dissolve it or the U.S. abandons the land. That's why America still operates the base even after la revolución. Problem is, it's leased land."

"Meaning it isn't American soil, so the U.S. Constitution doesn't apply there," Snake replied. "That allows them to withhold its civil rights protections."

"Yeah, that's Uncle Sam's excuse," said Miller. "The area was originally only for detaining refugees from countries like Cuba and Haiti. But a few years ago, the CIA and its like started using it as a black site. Enemies of the state are renditioned there and subjected to extreme forms of interrogation. You can bet Cipher had a hand in that. As you'd expect, American and other Western human rights organizations aren't allowed anywhere near the place. What happens there disappears down the memory hole."

"Who knows what they're doing to Chico and Paz," Snake responded in a worried tone.

"I'd like to interrogate her ourselves, but if worse comes to worst, make sure she's dead," said Miller. "Chico, on the other hand, we have to bring back – fast. He knows too much about us."

"Kaz." Snake said in a stern tone.

"The area's surrounded by mines placed by both the U.S. and Cuba, making escape on foot impossible," Miller informed him. "You're heading into the lion's den, Snake. Don't take this one lightly. Come back in one piece."

"Yeah."


	15. Ground Zeroes

**March 16** **th** **, 1975 00:00**

Skull Face and his unit returned to the Prison Area, where Chico was found slouched over in his cell. One of the soldiers aimed their submachine gun at him, but not even the threat of death could stir him out of his current state.

"She told us everything," said Skull Face. "Don't worry. I kept my word. She didn't suffer long."

Skull Face then pulled Chico's Walkman out of his jacket and dropped it into his cell.

"You earned it," said Skull Face.

Skull Face kneeled down and watched Chico pathetically slide himself towards his walkman.

"How's it feel to play the traitor?" his torturer taunted. "No more war games. You're a real man now soldier."

Skull Face stood up and calmly adjusted his hat as Chico plugged his headphones into his Walkman.

"Give my regards to your Boss when you get home," Skull Face chuckled. "Also, you're little girlfriend left you a message on there before she passed on. I'd take a listen if I were you."

Chico watched the unit leave before he even dared to press play. He has already been through so much pain the past few days; he was sure whatever words Paz left him couldn't hurt him at this point. All that was left was to listen to her last words, "Chico. I am borrowing your recorder. I hope you do not mind.

I know it hurts right now, but it will all be over soon. Just thinking that helps keep the pain away. Chico... I would do anything to get you out of here. It is funny... I have never helped anyone else before, only Cipher. That is the truth. I... I never imagined you would come for me. I was not very nice at first, I know. But I did not mean it. I...I was afraid they would try to use you, somehow.

But, to be honest... Having you with me here put my mind at ease. I hope that does not sound selfish. I thought I would never make it. But together, I think we can. I am watching you sleep as I record this. You have made me believe. That I will make it out of here... And that – no matter what happens – it will not be the end for me. Thank you, Chico."

"Paz…" the broken boy whimpered, too broken to realize that one of the guards of the Prison Camp disappeared.

Another guard walked out fenced area and was immediately grabbed and thrown in the nearby sea. The third and final guard walked to the edge of the nearby cliff and was swiftly kicked off it into the sea below.

A light was then repeatedly flashed in front of Chico, prompting the boy to look up and find Snake in front of his cell door. He picked the lock to the door and quietly opened it, but instead of being greeted with the relief of rescue, the frightened child adamantly backed away from him.

"Chico, it's me," Snake assured him.

"No… Go away!" Chico yelled.

He tried to reach out to the traumatized child, but Chico constantly swatted his hands away in defiance.

"Chico, keep it down!" Snake whispered.

Hearing a nearby vehicle, the stealthy mercenary took his eye off of Chico to check for more guards, giving the broken child soldier a chance to tackle him down. With the threat of his target alerting the other guards of the base, Snake wrapped his arms against Chico's throat and slowly tightened his grip. He applied more and more pressure to his air depriving hold until his target was eventually rendered unconscious. Snake then released his grip and gently laid the boy down and decided to update Miller.

"I've got Chico," Snake reported.

"And Paz?" asked Miller.

Snake looked towards Paz's side of the cage and was surprised to find it empty.

"Not here," Snake reported.

"Are you sure?" asked Miller.

"Pretty sure," Snake assured him.

"Is Chico able to walk?" asked Miller.

"Hold on," Snake said as he reached for his flash light again.

Snake inspected the young boy and felt nothing but regret when he finds bolts screwed into his tendons.

"Not going to happen," Snake shook his head.

"You'll have to carry him out then," said Miller. "Okay, Boss, change of plans. Haul Chico over to the rendezvous point. We'll get Paz's whereabouts from him once he's calmed down."

Snake lifted Chico over his shoulders and started to make his way to the designated RV. It was the cave he found during his first mission here and he knew it was the perfect spot for extraction for this mission. Once there, Snake sat the now conscious Chico in the cave and asked, "Chico, where is Paz?"

"She's dead…" Chico sorrowfully answered.

"Dead…?" Snake repeated.

"She's dead…" Chico nodded.

"When did it happen?" asked Snake.

"She's dead…" Chico repeated.

"Were you with her when it happened?" asked Snake.

"She's dead," Chico shook his head.

Before Snake could question him further, Miller contacted him.

"What do you think, Boss?" asked Miller.

"I can't get a straight answer from him," said Snake.

"You think she's really dead?" asked Miller.

"It's a common trick for torture to lie to victims," said Snake. "Chico wasn't there when it happened."

"I see…" said Miller. "Alright then, search the base for any clues to Paz's whereabouts. If she's alive, we need to bring her back here."

"Right," Snake nodded.

Snake left the safety of the cave and noticed a truck drive by. The truck stopped in front of a lone medic and the medic climbed in.

"You have to check the vitals on the girl, right?" the soldier behind the wheel asked.

"Those were my orders," the medic answered. "Though I don't know why we need to keep her alive at this point."

"What do you mean?" the soldier asked as he drove to the admin building.

"The guys who were interested in her are gone now," said the medic.

"Thank god," the soldier sighed. "Those guys freaked me out."

The truck stopped at the admin building's front gate and requested for it to be opened for them. Soon the gate opened, allowing the soldier to drive and park the truck in the administration area. They then made their way to the boiler room, where Skull Face left Paz.

"Alright," the medic said. "Let's see how this little bi-"

Before he could finish his sentence the medic was punched across the jaw, instantly knocking him unconscious. The soldier immediately turned around and could do nothing but watch Snake grab his rifle and use it to render him unconscious too. With the area secured, Snake approached Paz ad softly called her name. He then checked her pulse as memories of their last encounter flooded his head. Even though they last met as enemies, he still couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl. Snake freed her from her bonds and proceeded to carry her back to the RV while avoiding all the security in his way.

Once back at the RV, Snake carefully laid Paz next to Chico, who couldn't believe his eyes. The person he thought he condemned to death was alive. Chico then laid back and started begging her for forgiveness, but all Paz could do was hum, as if to calm him down. Snake requested a helicopter pickup and waited in the cave with them until eventually one arrived. Snake loaded his objectives into the vehicle and jumped in himself, riding it out of the base's airspace.


	16. Rigged

Relief was in the air during the trip back to Mother Base. The mission was now complete and Chico and Paz were finally free from the torture of the Naval Base's Prison Camp. The young child soldier crawled to Paz and examined her body. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what he put her through. His eyes were then drawn to a large section of blood that seeped through her uniform and nervously checked the other side of it. Chico noticed something odd about Paz. To his horror, he found a stitched up v-shaped cut in abdomen.

"Snake…" Chico called. "Snake!"

The veteran mercenary turned around and immediately became cautious of Paz's injury.

"Medic!" Snake called.

He quickly moved Chico away from Paz as the Medic inspected Paz's stomach. It didn't take long for them to both come to the same conclusion.

"She's rigged!" Snake concluded. "Damn it! We were set up!

"We got to get it out," the Medic said as he reached for his tools. "No time for anesthetic. We have to open her now."

Chico worriedly glanced Snake; his face becoming darker each passing second.

"Hold her down," Snake ordered Chico. "HOLD HER DOWN!"

The two placed their arms around Paz and prepared for what was to come. Soon, the Medic cut the threads that held her wound shut and slowly opened it, slightly revealing more wires in her. He swiftly cut the remaining stitches and put his tools away.

"Paz…" Chico whimpered.

The medic then grabbed both sides of Paz's open wound and stretched it open even further, causing the girl immense pain.

"Keep her gut in!" the Medic instructed Chico.

Chico fought to keep Paz's entrails in her as Snake forcibly kept the girl in place. The medic searched for the bomb in Paz, but was unable to find anything. With no other choice, the medic dug even deeper into Paz's stomach causing her to scream even louder as she tried to escape the pain. After searching for what seemed like forever, the Medic arms retracted from Paz's abdomen and presented a small rectangular device to his boss.

Snake accepted the device and, without a second thought, opened one of the helicopter doors and threw it towards the sea. The Medic then inspected Paz to see how the immediate surgery affected her.

"Breathing stable. No active bleeding. She's clean. I'm closing her up," the Medic reported.

Snake nodded his head and then heard his radio sound off.

"Boss, can you hear me?" Huey asked.

"What's up, Huey?" Snake confirmed.

"Our guests are right on destruction and hangar decontamination are complete. AFVs have been stowed away. And ZEKE's on the sea floor along with the nuke. Everyone's got their stories straight. The guided tour will be wrapped up by the time you get home."

"Make me proud."

"By the time they leave, I'll have the IAEA praising us as the poster boys for world peace," Huey proudly assured him. "Out."


	17. The Fall of Mother Base

After a long trip, they were finally nearing Mother Base. With Paz and Chico secured and Huey leading the inspection tour, everything seemed to be going Snake's way. But soon a new problem appeared. For some reason the helicopter's pilot was unable to contact the base.

"Tower, this is Morpho one! Do you copy?" the chopper pilot spoke into his radio. Once again he recived nothing but silence. "Can't get through! The link seems fine but… ugh."

Wondering what could have rendered his pilot speechless; Snake opened one of the helicopter's doors and noticed the color orange reflecting on the sea beneath him. It wasn't until he saw the flaming wreckage of one of the base's helicopter that he realized what was happening. Horrified, but adamant not to let shock deter him, Snake quickly grabbed his assault rifle as he watched several struts burn as the pilot searched for survivors. Rising in altitude, the helicopter soon flew by the strut that previously housed Metal Gear ZEKE, allowing the legendary mercenary to catch a glimpse of Kazuhira Miller and several of his men defending the platform from invading forces.

But before Snake could respond, an enemy helicopter flew next to his, providing the soldier inside an ample opportunity to fire at him. The fired bullets bounced off the side of the chopper, giving Snake the opportunity to respond by firing a continuous stream of bullets towards the rotors of the enemy helicopter. The cumulating damage to the rotors of the air vehicle eventually caused it to spiral out of control and crash in between the warring factions.

With the sky clear of invaders, the pilot landed the helicopter down next to the MSF survivors, finally allowing his boss to jump out and join the battle. Living up to his status as a legend, Snake's participation in the fight slowly but surely turned the tide of battle in MSF's favor until he noticed one of the enemy soldiers preparing to fire a missile.

He quickly fired at him, killing the enemy. But it was too late. Pulling the trigger before expiring, the enemy's missile flew across the deck and detonated, decimating half of MSF's surviving forces and immobilizing Miller.

As the remaining soldiers scrambled to recover from such an attack, Snake noticed another enemy soldier prepare another missile launcher and swiftly killed him before his men could suffer another devastating blow. But that slight victory didn't change one fact: the tide of the battle change once more. MSF was fighting a losing battle and there was no other choice but to withdraw from the fight.

"Boss!" Jumping back on his feet, Snake followed the direction of the voice that called him and noticed one of his men helping Miller up off the ground.

He was heavily injured and needed support just to stay on his feet. Snake quickly took over the role of helping his 2nd-in-command and motioned the remaining survivors to cover them as they all escaped to the helicopter.

Suddenly the legs of the strut collapsed, resulting in the sea beginning the process of consuming the base.

The remnants of both factions fired at each other, slowly whittling the other side's numbers as Snake helped Miller into the helicopter. With Miller secured, Snake turned around and realized that only two of his men were left and that one of them had an injured arm. Without giving it a second thought, the legendary mercenary and the single remaining soldier offered cover fire, allowing the injured soldier to escape into the helicopter. The two then backed towards the vehicle, their eyes still trained on their attackers until his last soldier was shot in the neck and expired in his arms. At that moment, all of the anger and grief the legend repressed throughout the entire battle shattered his normally calm and rational mind. His grip on his rifle tightened as he screamed and charged back into the battle.

"Snake!" Miller called.

Miller's pleas for his boss to escape with fell on deaf ears. Snake continued to kill his enemies, thinking of nothing but avenging his fallen comrades until eventually his rifle no longer had anymore bullets to further that goal. No longer able to continue the fight, he angrily threw his rifle down and turned back towards the helicopter. He accepted his partner's hand and boarded the vehicle just as they were about to be claimed by the sea.

"Go!" Snake yelled.

The helicopter quickly took off for the sky; giving Snake and Miller a view of the entire base they worked so hard to build explode and sink into the sea. The legend solemnly closed the helicopter door and soon found himself slumped near the access panel.

"Inspection was nothing but a smoke screen," Miller finally said.. "I heard explosions then…"

He stood up and screamed, "THEY PLAYED LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE!"

Miller grabbed Snake and continued to yell his heart out, "Give it back! This isn't right, that was ours!"

He let go of his speechless comrade and then slammed his fist against the helicopter door, "We built it, damn it!"

From the corner of his eyes, Miller noticed the Medic attending to Paz and was immediately filled with even more rage.

"You spying bitch!" Miller grumbled.

Miller viciously shoved the Medic out of the way and violently shook the barely conscious girl.

"C'mon, start talking bitch!" he roared. "C'mon, get up and start talking!"

Paz suddenly woke up, spraying her assailant with some of her blood. Noticing the anger in his eyes, Paz fearfully stumbled away from Miller and ran into Snake, causing her to tumble over to the helicopter door. Snake tried to keep her calm, but Miller swiftly intervened and continued to blame Paz for what happened to them, forcing the Medic to force him away from Paz.

"Bomb!" Paz tried to warn them. "There's a…"

"It's alright, we got it out!" Snake interrupted.

Paz, realizing what that meant, opened the helicopter door and backed towards the edge of the open doorway.

"There's another… in my…" Paz started.

As Paz tried to explain the situation, Snake noticed a helicopter fly next to them with an enemy soldier preparing to fire a missile at them. He then turned his attention back to Paz and was surprised by the frantic look on her face. It didn't take long for everyone to realize what he was about to do next. Snake and the Medic rushed towards Paz, but they were too late.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he watched Paz fall towards the sea.

Suddenly, Paz exploded in front of them. The medic threw Snake behind him but the force of the explosion still flung the two of them back and sent their vehicle spiraling out of control. The chopper continued to spin as it lost altitude until it eventually collided with the pursuing enemy helicopter.


	18. Aftermath

Smoke from the disaster was visible from the coastline.

The media blamed "money-minded private militias," and scandal followed when the US was fingered as one of the organization's top clients.

In response, the Secretary of Defense publicly stated that "neither the United States nor its allies had any hand in the incident."

Reports also suggested that IAEA inspectors visited the site. However, the UN and the IAEA insist that "no such inspection took place."

Other countries among the organization's long list of clients avoided comment all together.

The casualty figure is uncertain. There are no known survivors.

However, in the moments prior to and following the incident, several unidentified military helicopters were sighted in the area.


	19. Timeline

**April 30** **th** **, 1975** The Ho Chi Minh Campaign leads to the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam's reunification.

 **July 17** **th** **, 1975** The Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft dock in orbit. The first U.S.-Soviet peaceful space test is successful.

 **1976** The "Les Enfants Terribles" project is abandoned.

 **1977** An underground nuclear test site is discovered beneath the Kalahari Desert. Bowing to international pressure, the South African government abandons the site.

 **1979** The Iranian Revolution leads to the Iran Hostage Crisis.

 **July 19** **th** **, 1979** President Somoza defects following the FSLN uprising, and the Nicaraguan Revolution comes to fruition.

 **December 24** **th** **, 1979** The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, bringing an end to détente.

 **September 22** **nd** **, 1980** The Iran-Iraq War breaks out. Fearing the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. support Iraq.

 **1980** Dr. "Huey" Emmerich's first child is born. He is named Hal.

 **June 7** **th** **, 1981** Operation Opera: Israeli bombers strike nuclear reactor under construction in Iraq.

 **April 18** **th** **, 1983** A suicide bomber attack the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

 **October 25** **th** **, 1983** The U.S. military invades Grenada.

 **2002** Camp X-Ray, a black site for housing "enemy combatants," is established at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

 **2008** The President of the United States publicly pledges to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.


	20. Sleep

**March 16** **th** **1975 13:31. Hospital Mena de Barranquilla, Colombia.**

An injured Miller watched helplessly as the doctors scramble to revive Snake. They tried everything they could do to jump start Snake's heart, but nothing seemed to work.

"Don't you die on me, damn it!" Miller encouraged his unconscious partner.

After several more attempts, they were able to restart Snake's heart.

"How's he doing?" asked Miller.

"Well, he's stabilized…" one of the doctors answered. "But it took too long. He's in a coma."

Miller struggled to lift his head up and looked at the patient besides Snake.

"What about him?" asked Miller.

 **Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – The End**


	21. Awakening

**March 16** **th** **, 1975…**

"Tower, this is Morpho one! Do you copy?" the chopper pilot spoke into his radio. Once again he recived nothing but silence. "Can't get through! The link seems fine but… ugh."

Wondering what could have rendered his pilot speechless; Snake opened one of the helicopter's doors and noticed the color orange reflecting on the sea beneath him. It wasn't until he saw the flaming wreckage of one of the base's helicopter that he realized what was happening. Horrified, but adamant not to let shock deter him, Snake quickly grabbed his assault rifle as he watched several struts burn as the pilot searched for survivors. Rising in altitude, the helicopter soon flew by the strut that previously housed Metal Gear ZEKE, allowing the legendary mercenary to catch a glimpse of Kazuhira Miller and several of his men defending the platform from invading forces.

But before Snake could respond, an enemy helicopter flew next to his, providing the soldier inside an ample opportunity to fire at him. The fired bullets bounced off the side of the chopper, giving Snake the opportunity to respond by firing a continuous stream of bullets towards the rotors of the enemy helicopter. The cumulating damage to the rotors of the air vehicle eventually caused it to spiral out of control and crash in between the warring factions.

With the sky clear of invaders, the pilot landed the helicopter down next to the MSF survivors, finally allowing his boss to jump out and join the battle. Living up to his status as a legend, Snake's participation in the fight slowly but surely turned the tide of battle in MSF's favor until he noticed one of the enemy soldiers preparing to fire a missile.

He quickly fired at him, killing the enemy. But it was too late. Pulling the trigger before expiring, the enemy's missile flew across the deck and detonated, decimating half of MSF's surviving forces and immobilizing Miller.

As the remaining soldiers scrambled to recover from such an attack, Snake noticed another enemy soldier prepare another missile launcher and swiftly killed him before his men could suffer another devastating blow. But that slight victory didn't change one fact: the tide of the battle change once more. MSF was fighting a losing battle and there was no other choice but to withdraw from the fight.

"Boss!" Jumping back on his feet, Snake followed the direction of the voice that called him and noticed one of his men helping Miller up off the ground.

He was heavily injured and needed support just to stay on his feet. Snake quickly took over the role of helping his 2nd-in-command and motioned the remaining survivors to cover them as they all escaped to the helicopter.

Suddenly the legs of the strut collapsed, resulting in the sea beginning the process of consuming the base.

The remnants of both factions fired at each other, slowly whittling the other side's numbers as Snake helped Miller into the helicopter. With Miller secured, Snake turned around and realized that only two of his men were left and that one of them had an injured arm. Without giving it a second thought, the legendary mercenary and the single remaining soldier offered cover fire, allowing the injured soldier to escape into the helicopter. The two then backed towards the vehicle, their eyes still trained on their attackers until his last soldier was shot in the neck and expired in his arms. At that moment, all of the anger and grief the legend repressed throughout the entire battle shattered his normally calm and rational mind. His grip on his rifle tightened as he screamed and charged back into the battle.

"Snake!" Miller called.

Miller's pleas for his boss to escape with fell on deaf ears. Snake continued to kill his enemies, thinking of nothing but avenging his fallen comrades until eventually his rifle no longer had anymore bullets to further that goal. No longer able to continue the fight, he angrily threw his rifle down and turned back towards the helicopter. He accepted his partner's hand and boarded the vehicle just as they were about to be claimed by the sea.

"Go!" Snake yelled.

The helicopter quickly took off for the sky; giving Snake and Miller a view of the entire base they worked so hard to build explode and sink into the sea. The legend solemnly closed the helicopter door and soon found himself slumped near the access panel.

"Inspection was nothing but a smoke screen," Miller finally said.. "I heard explosions then…"

He stood up and screamed, "THEY PLAYED LIKE A DAMN FIDDLE!"

Miller grabbed Snake and continued to yell his heart out, "Give it back! This isn't right, that was ours!"

He let go of his speechless comrade and then slammed his fist against the helicopter door, "We built it, damn it!"

From the corner of his eyes, Miller noticed the Medic attending to Paz and was immediately filled with even more rage.

"You spying bitch!" Miller grumbled.

Miller viciously shoved the Medic out of the way and violently shook the barely conscious girl.

"C'mon, start talking bitch!" he roared. "C'mon, get up and start talking!"

Paz suddenly woke up, spraying her assailant with some of her blood. Noticing the anger in his eyes, Paz fearfully stumbled away from Miller and ran into Snake, causing her to tumble over to the helicopter door. Snake tried to keep her calm, but Miller swiftly intervened and continued to blame Paz for what happened to them, forcing the Medic to force him away from Paz.

"Bomb!" Paz tried to warn them. "There's a…"

"It's alright, we got it out!" Snake interrupted.

Paz, realizing what that meant, opened the helicopter door and backed towards the edge of the open doorway.

"There's another… in my…" Paz started.

As Paz tried to explain the situation, Snake noticed a helicopter fly next to them with an enemy soldier preparing to fire a missile at them. He then turned his attention back to Paz and was surprised by the frantic look on her face. It didn't take long for everyone to realize what he was about to do next. Snake and the Medic rushed towards Paz, but they were too late.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed as he watched Paz fall towards the sea.

In a blink of the eye, Snake found himself in what vaguely resembled a hospital room. His head was throbbing and it didn't take long for him to realize that was the only sensation he felt. His vision was blurry at best, but he did notice a woman in a nurse's outfit walk in with a bundle of flowers. The white pedals that radiates when the sunlight touches them… they felt familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time.

The nurse carefully laid them into a nearby vase and turned to leave until she heard a grunt from the half-awake man next to her. She slowly and curiously approached Snake. She stared into his eyes, until a shocked expression formed on her face. She hurriedly left the room screaming in a language he couldn't understand. As he started to fade away from reality again, he heard four words that would set in motion a chain of events he would be unable to control.

" **V Has Come To."**

* * *

3 days later, Snake woke up and noticed the same nurse from before standing next to a man in a white jacket. The bedridden soldier opened his mouth…

"Please try to relax," the man quickly said. "There is plenty of time."

Snake's head sunk into his pillow as the man approached him.

"I'm Doctor Evangelos Constantinou," the man introduced himself. The doctor then turned towards the nurse. "This is nurse Alexandra Pikrammenos. We both have been watching over you for a long time now."

Snake struggled to turn his head towards the nurse though was ultimately unable to do so.

"I need to tell you something," Evangelos continued. "Please listen and try not to panic."

The patient was unsure whether he had the strength to remain conscious long enough to listen to his doctor, let alone have the strength to panic.

"You've been a coma for quite some time," Evangelos professionally stated. "Yes, Yes. I know. You'd like to know how long."

Evangelos looked at his patient with sympathy in his eyes. Snake couldn't help but wondered why he paused.

"I'm afraid it's been 9 years," Evangelos finally spoke up.

Snake's eyes widened with shock. 9 years? Was he really gone from the world for 9 years? He couldn't believe it. Suddenly, his body jolted around as he tried to process what he was told. Evangelos and Alexandra attempted to calm him down, but how could he when he was just told that he lost 9 years of his life. He continued to thrash about until he felt a sharp pain come from his right arm that led to him falling back into darkness' cold embrace.

 _"Hey, Medic?"_

 _Big Boss placed his ration down on the Mess Hall table and looked up at his fellow soldier. The medic stared at his boss, curious to what it was that he wanted to ask._

 _"What do you think of these new Rations?" Big Boss asked._

 _The field doctor silently looked down at his own meal and answered with a shrug._

 _"Sorry, for randomly asking that," Big Boss apologized. "It's just that there was this one field medic I knew. She would always tell me about the nutritional value of various kinds of food. She was also kind of a huge movie buff. I still haven't watched any of the movies she suggested."_

 _"You know, that gives me an idea."_

 _The soldiers looked up and noticed Paz standing in front of the table. With an innocent smile, she casually sat next to Big Boss._

 _"What's a good idea?" he asked._

 _"We should have a movie night," Paz suggested._

 _"Movie night?" Big Boss repeated._

 _"Mm-hmm," Paz happily nodded her head. "It would be a great way for the soldiers of Mother Base to relax after hard on so many missions."_

 _"I don't know, Paz," Big Boss shook his head in a disapproving manner. "I may not have watched many movies, but the ones I have watched involve nothing but cheap Hollywood parodies of things soldiers and spies actually do on the battlefield. If I let the men watch any of that, they may try to emulate what they see and that could get them killed."_

 _"Well, it doesn't have to be an action film," Paz said. "It could be anything else, like, umm… like Cinderella."_

 _"Cinderella?" a look of confusion fell on Big Boss's face. "What's that?"_

 _"It's a story a woman that is lives with her step-mother and step-sisters and spends every day tending to their selfish desires," Paz started to explain. "Meanwhile, the local King wants his son, Prince Charming, to find a wife and decides to hold a ball in hopes of the prince finding a woman he would like. Catching wind of the ball, Cinderella tries to find a way to attend, but her cruel and wicked step-family crushed the young woman's hopes and dream, leading her to almost giving up altogether."_

 _"So, it's a story of how harsh real life can be," Big Boss concluded._

 _"Yes, but things do get better for Cinderella," Paz grinned._

 _"How?" Big Boss asked._

 _"Well, her Fairy Godmother appears and with a little magic, Cinderella is able to attend the ball until midnight," Paz answered._

 _"Fairy Godmother?" Big Boss repeated. "How is that real in anyway?"_

 _"I admit that part isn't all that realistic…" Paz conceded. "But I still think that it's a wonderful scene that restores hope."_

 _"It sounds more like the movie is telling people that instead rising when you fall, you just wait for someone to magically make things better for you," Big Boss argued._

 _"Uh… well," Paz remained silent for a moment. "Maybe Fairy Tales wasn't a good idea…"_

 _Paz looked down at her meal until she finally noticed the Medic sitting across from her._

 _"Oh, hello. I didn't see you there," Paz waved. "I'm Paz. What's your name?"_

 _The Medic pointed to a blue nametag on his body armor that read: MED._

 _"I don't understand," Paz worriedly replied._

 _"Everyone here calls him Medic," Big Boss said. "He's our best operative/field medic."_

* * *

4 days later, Snake returned to the land of the living and noticed a blank board in front of his bed.

"It's been 1 week since you came to," Evangelos said.

The doctor and nurse then placed their hands around him and carefully helped him sit up. It was a painful experience to go through, but he knew he has been through worse. At least he was mostly sure. After realizing that he was in a coma for 9 years, Snake wasn't completely sure what was going on anymore. All he was completely sure about was that his head was still throbbing.

"You've lost some strength, but we've been maintaining your muscle masses through massages, CPM therapy and EMS," Evangelos informed the half awake man. "Now I need to explain something to you, but you mustn't be alarmed."

Snake watched the doctor grab of folder filled with x-ray scans and walk towards a bright white board standing in front of his bed.

"9 years ago, you were injured in an explosion," the doctor placed a scan of the chest area on the board. To Snake's surprise, there were tiny white fragments peppered across it. "Upon examination, we discovered 108 foreign bodies embedded within you. In addition to shrapnel, we also found fragments of human bones and human teeth. Most of it was removed, but some of the fragments still remain. They are located near your heart and in your skull."

The doctor then grabbed a scan of his patient's head and placed it next to the previous one.

"The fragments are lodged deep within your cerebral cortex," Evangelos continued. "We couldn't give you an MRI; the metal you see. But even if we were to extract it, you would most likely suffer a brain hemorrhage. Mental and physical impairment are unavoidable. However, your current status is not life-threatening. One more thing…"

Snake noticed a solemn look in his caretaker's eye as he watched a scan of his upper body posted on the board. It was like the first one, human fragments splintered throughout his body. He didn't understand what he was supposed to see this time until he noticed that there was something he couldn't see.

"You better look now," Evangelos said. "Best to understand your situation sooner than later."

Snake was rendered speechless as his eyes refused to leave the eerie sight in front of him.

"I now it's difficult but please look down," Evangelos calmly advised. "It's best to see it with your own eyes."

Snake slowly and cautiously looked down to his right. Using what little strength he head, he started to move his right fingers back and forth. But what horrified him was that he wasn't just trying to move his right fingers. His breathing slowly intensified as he cautiously looked to his left. His eyes widened with shock and terror to see that his left arm was gone.

Just like 4 days earlier, Snake started to thrash about, unable to handle such a revelation until the nurse injected him with a sedative to force him back to sleep.

* * *

1 week later, Snake awakened and could barely hear his personal doctor and nurse arguing in the distance. As his vision cleared, Evangelos stumbled into the room with a grave expression on his face.

"It's true, there are those wished you have never woken up," he said. "You should be dead, but you're not. The wheels are in motion. You're enemies are everywhere. We must alter you're appearance immediately. Otherwise, I fear you will not leave this place alive. It's a wide open world out there, so there is something we need to take care of first."

The doctor reached grabbed a mirror from a nearby table and positioned it in front of Snake, allowing him to catch a glimpse of his current appearance.

"I'm going to change your appearance, "Evangelos continued. "We have no other choice."

The bedridden mercenary blankly stared at his reflection until he heard the sound of crashing metal and rolling wheels. His doctor retracted the mirror just as the nurse brought in more equipment.

"Very good. Now let's remove these bandages," Evangelos removed the bandages around his patient's head and examined the results of his work. "Hm, your face has healed up nicely. To tell you the truth, these bandages where more for your protection. To hide you from those who'd want you dead.

As of today, you're name is Ahab. Forget everything. Your name. Your past."

Ahab blankly stared at his caretaker, silently watching him reach down and grab two photographs from the table. Evangelos solemnly stared at them until finally presenting them to him. The first of the two depicted a moment Ahab remembered well: Big Boss, Kazuhira Miller, Morpho and an MSF soldier posing before embarking on a mission. The second was slightly obscured by the first, but featured similar poses from Big Boss, Miller and Morpho.

His caretaker once again grabbed the mirror and held it in front of Ahab, "This is you as you've lived until this day. Tomorrow it becomes… A phantom."

Ahab silently stared at his reflection until the image crashed on his bed. Looking up as quickly as he could, the bedridden soldier could do nothing but watch as his doctor struggled to break free of the wire cutting into his neck. Grabbing a pistol, Evangelos was then off the ground. His limbs flailed in all directions until he unknowingly kicked his patient out of his bed and to the cold hospital floor.

Ahab could hear his doctor continually gasp for air on the other side of the bed suddenly there was nothing but silence. Not too long after, he watched Evangelos drop on the floor and pair of feet walking to the front of the bed, allowing him to catch a glimpse of the one who murdered his caretakers.

The murderer casually reached for their radio, ignoring the impact of an explosion and said, "Not yet. The patient in the next bed saw my face."

From the corner of his eye, Ahab noticed Evangelos' handgun on the floor and mustered up all the strength he could to reach for it.

"Of course," the murderer continued. "Consider it done."

They then reached for their knife and approached the helpless soldier, until they felt the gun brush up against their jet black boot. They then picked the gun off the floor and aimed it Ahab.

All he could do was stare into the eyes of the person in front of them. Their eyes offered no sense of mercy, but also displayed no hints of malice. He could tell the woman that was about to end his life had no other reason to kill him other than being hired too.

Suddenly, another figure jumped onto the assassin, tightening their hold as they guided her away from Ahab. They crashed into various equipment and chemicals spread throughout the room until the assassin finally broke free of the interloper's grip and threw him near Ahab. She then reached for her knife once more and slowly approached the two.

The mysterious stranger frantically looked around and began throwing whatever they could at their attacker. The female assassin blocked all projectiles thrown her way, her icy calm demeanor not even changing as a bottle broke upon contact and covered her upper body. The moment her opponent ran out of things to defend themselves with, the assassin gripped her knife and drove it into their shoulder.

As his savior winced from the pain, Ahab watched in horror as his death approached him. She jerked him off the ground, pinned him to the wall and tightly pressed her arms against his throat. His already bad vision began to blur and his limbs flailed as his air supply was quickly depleting. Everything went black and all he could hear was her soft humming until he once again felt his body crash against the hospital floor.

With his vision now returning, Ahab looked up and was shocked to find his attacker on fire. Her screams of anguish filled the room as her previous opponent removed her knife from their shoulder. After writhing in pain for what seemed like forever, the assassin glared at the two and once again began her approach. The mysterious stranger quickly grabbed another bottle and threw it at the assassin, the contents within bursting out on content and igniting her further. Her bloodcurdling screams once again filled the room before suddenly following her out the room's window.

Ahab's erratic breathing slowly reverted back to normal as he watched the stranger look out of the window before approaching him. Bandages tightly wrapped around their face, revealing only their eyes and mouth.

"Alright, Ahab, time to go," the stranger ordered.

"W-Wh-What happened to the woman?" he asked.

"The woman? I- We gave her a light. She took the short way down."

"Who are you?"

"Who am I…? You're talking to yourself. I been watching over you for 9 years. You can call me Ishmael."

"What the hell is going on?"

"Well the good news is you're in the land of the living. Bad news? Whole world wants you dead."

The two suddenly felt the building shake even worse than before and heard cries of pain circulate the building.

"On your feet, soldier, the whole place is going down," with Ishmael's help, Ahab sat up and tried to move, only to discover that he couldn't. No matter how much he tried to command his them, his legs refused to move. "Need a little pick me up?"

Ishmael grabbed an injector needle from the floor and jabbed into the remains of Ahab's left arm, "Nothing like a little digoxin to get you back in the game."

They then helped the hospitalized soldier onto his feet; the moment they let go, Ahab crashed on the floor.

"Come on!" Ishmael ordered.

 **A/N: This was a piece of writing that I've done a little while back as a writing exercise. Basically, a challenge to see if I could translate events from a video game into text. I recently uncovered it and decided to upload what I made.**


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